Is 2025 the year the Cambridge-Cambridge bridge really flourishes?

Many of the examples have been reported in Business Weekly over that time, bringing much needed awareness and encouragement to such efforts, demonstrating that it is the entire breadth of each ecosystem that plays its role in enabling the great research and entrepreneurs to succeed.

In such uncertain geopolitical times, it is key to remember that the fundamentals of the life science industry in terms of the need for world class scientific research and innovation to be translated into products and services that address global unmet medical need is what fuels each of the Cambridges.

Enablement by a depth of experienced investors, entrepreneurs and business services is something both locations have in common and leverage during such times. The similarities are clear and why there is such potential for this transatlantic bio-innovation axis to play a significant role in navigating current challenges.

The recent One Nucleus Boston Bootcamp saw leaders from emerging companies Cellestial Health, Metrion Biosciences, Outsee, PharmEnable, RNAvate, Tailor Bio, along with sponsors of the competition, explore the current Greater Boston ecosystem dynamics, trends and opportunities.

Spending a significant proportion of time in and around Kendall Square gave ample opportunity to take in the dynamics supporting success. The trip also provided a direct window, via MassBio and others on how recent political changes are challenging the status quo.

With 99 per cent of the drugs making FDA approval across 2010-2019, each involving an average spend of $600 million of NIH funding on approval, then reduction in NIH funding, FDA changes leading to 3,500 job cuts and the proposed tariffs and most favoured nation policies, could see a squeeze on industry spend on early-stage research: An ecosystem being asked to do more with less dollars.

There may be more room for optimism in the UK with the £1 billion announcement from BioNTech, the UK Government staying committed to supporting life sciences, further funding deals such as the $120m CellCentric round and significant R & D deals such as the Alchemab-Lilly collaboration announced recently.

One could argue there is a great opportunity for the Cambridge-Cambridge bridge to play a very important role. It seems unlikely, even given current turmoil, that the sector will remain US-centric for nascent UK companies in the foreseeable future, but there may be the opportunity to rebalance the relationship - Cambridge UK perhaps delivering at least part of a solution to the doing more with less conundrum facing MA-based companies based on operating costs alone for quality R & D.

More urgency into realising Mansion House Accord where the largest pension funds agreed to direct £252bn of capital into private market assets with 5 per cent ringfenced to UK businesses, property and major infrastructure, could help redress the one-sided financing model we have seen and changes in the approach to regulation at MHRA, for example, could mean the UK becomes a more attractive clinical trial location for Cambridge MA-based companies.

Considering the investment aspect, the recent BIA report provided very positive headlines of £881m of venture funding being raised in Q1 of this year - a significant uplift over the previous year. That said, this was hugely skewed by two mega deals by Isomorphic Labs and Verdiva securing £776m between them.

With a total of only 13 other deals being done, two of which accounted for a further £84m of the remainder, it illustrates the trend of investors going for fewer but larger deals. M & A deals and licensing are happening, again potentially a positive for the established Cambridge-to-Cambridge pipeline.

One Nucleus continues to explore routes to strengthen the bridge to the Greater Boston Cluster for the benefit of our members. Being creative in where sources of investment may lie has been key to two exciting adventures One Nucleus is pursuing in 2025.

Building on the collaboration with Life Science Nation and their RESI (Redefining Early-Stage Investment) conferences, June will see One Nucleus return to Boston as exhibitors at the RESI Boston conference and to participate at the annual BIO International Convention.

Not totally familiar to a UK audience, but RESI has a format of life science companies across drugs, devices, digital and devices pitching to potential investors alongside pre-scheduled one-to-one meetings. The focus of the team behind RESI is enabling global fundraising strategies not limiting itself to localised ecosystems.

During the week in Boston, One Nucleus will be holding satellite session for our members to gain insight and also connect with the international peers. Excitingly in September 2025, One Nucleus is a co-sponsor and member of 5the Regional Host Committee of the BioCentury Grand Rounds Europe conference here in Cambridge, UK. Focused on assembling innovators and deal makers in the translational research space, the conference will attract key Biopharma and investment industry players to the cluster.

The two weeks of activity, one in each of the Cambridges, demonstrates the exciting and proactive role these two ecosystems can play in the life sciences sector. By enabling dealflow by companies working in either cluster – or those based elsewhere but seeing a Cambridge as a life science deal hub in which to meet – will enable the sector to leverage both locations and their synergies to impact not just localised but global success.

As premium innovation clusters able to play such a role in an uncertain world, 2025 truly could be the year where the significance of the much-nurtured Cambridge-to-Cambridge relationship takes centre stage!